Conditions and Info
Use of MountainViews is governed by
conditions.General information about the site is
here.Opinions in material here are not necessarily endorsed by MountainViews.
Hillwalking is a risk sport. Information in comments, walks or shared GPS tracks may not be accurate for example as regards safety or access permission. You are responsible for your safety and your permission to walk see
conditions.Credits and list definitions are listed here
Credits

The Hill of Moat encapsulates all that can be found in Binnion bagging; fences, electric and barbed, dense gorse, direction losing forestry, cow churned ground, no paths. Surprisingly these obstacles are in small doses and by carefully sticking to as many forest roads and tracks as possible (even if they take you on a rather circuitous route) then it's easy enough to reach the top and be rewarded by a trig point and fine views. On my walk I also encountered Shellduck and Wigeon in turloughs near the farm, a pair of bright Redpoll in the woods, singing Skylark and Meadow Pipit on the slopes and a solitary Red Grouse at the top. Spring is definitely in the bird song! Trackback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/1226/comment/15923/

Your Score: Very useful << >>Average

Unusually named hills with great views.

by Fergalh 1 Mar 2014

Take the Finea road out of Castlepollard, Take the third turn right (N45749 73437A), proceed through crossroads just after last house park on the right (N45762 75540B) where there is some space. Walk to gate on track and cross gate. Just before forest barrier turn right and proceed through forest that is being felled whilst keeping remains of overgrown boreen on your left. Eventually you will come to field, cross field to fence here is a gap in the gorse. Head up hill here until you come to another fence. Cross through gap in fence and the trig pillar is at the top of the hill. Great views can be had here on way back if you have time cross barrier and proceed through forest to the top of the rock of curry also nice views from here.

Perhaps best approached from the north west via the lane that begins on Castletown road at N 44347 77216C (Whitegate). Also known as The Hill of Mael on some OSI maps. Trackback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/1226/comment/16051/

I quote from a report (1972) by Roger Goodwillie of An Foras Forbartha (the link to the PDF is provided at the end of this comment): "Westmeath is one of the more diverse counties in the midlands. A look at the geological map might lead one to suppose that the monotonous sheets of Carboniferous limestone are reflected by a similar monotony in the flora and fauna, but in fact the combination of shallow lakes (e.g. Coosan Lough), glacial eskers (Long Hill), bogs (near the Meath border), exposed rock (Rock of Curry), seasonally flooded land (River Shannon below Athlone), fens (L. Iron) and natural woodland (Lough Ree shores) makes the county of exceptional scientific interest".

The document reports on a number of areas of scientific interest in the county, and covers the Hill of Mael and the Rock of Curry on page 62.

From the summit, the views are extensive: Dublin/Wicklow mountains, Slieve Bloom mountains, Slieve an Iarainn and Cuilcagh, as well as the Cooleys. It is a better vantage point than it's afforested higher neighbour and county-top Mullaghmeen.

Finally, MV might consider renaming this peak - it is known as The Hill of Mael locally (I am from the area) and I've never heard it referred to as the Hill of Moat.